In the late 1990s, a revolutionary concept was developed in the United Kingdom to counteract child poverty especially among families with migration background. Caritas and the Charity joined efforts and adapted it to the needs of Bodvalenka, a small village in northern Hungary at the Slovakian border. The “Sure Beginning”-day care centre offers professional social care for especially vulnerable groups and has an immense importance for the whole local community.
In a specially arranged and equipped house, under-age mothers and their children find a place of safety. The young women are taught how to cook and take care of the household. Hygienic and financial matters are also taught. The young women thereby learn how to efficiently make do on a small budget so that they become independent of financial support. The project’s utmost priority is to support mothers taking care of their children on their own.
The Sure Beginning House is more than just a Day Care Centre or simply an alternative to a kindergarten – it is an important meeting point for the whole village, a place of dialogue stimulating communication between generations. What is particularly important is the fact that all 200 people living at the village can benefit from the project. For instance, using the washing facilities is a major advantage, considering that only seven families have running water in their homes.
The Sure Beginning House creates a secure basis of existence for the young mothers and their children and thus fulfils one of the Charity’s main objectives – helping the most vulnerable ones. Approximately 15 women and 30 children are currently visiting the Sure Beginning House. The equipment of the house is offered also to all other inhabitants of the village.
Eszter, the project coordinator in Bodvalenka, explains Sure Beginning's positive influence on the local community like this: "Although our village is located in the middle of nowhere, people have to live here. They were forgotten for many years, which is also reflected in the village's appearance. The Sure Beginning project does not only help women and children to organize their daily life, it also brings community life back to Bodvalenke. For the first time, people start to work together, help and take care for each other. Suddenly, the village is not only a remote place for living, but a hometown, where solidarity with the neighbours becomes important again. Sure Beginning will change the lives of many babies and children, but it will also help the young mothers to cope with their difficult situation. The Sure Beginning House is a place, where they can find help, discuss their needs and problems and even become a helping support for the other women. We often hear about the vicious circle, in which poor people are caught in. With the support of the H. Stepic CEE Charity we have the chance to break the circle and to find a way out of the hopelessness. Isn’t that the best you can expect from a social project?”
